‘You can wear those tight jeans, which is more than most of them can,’ Gran observed helpfully.
‘Only ’cos I’m shaped like a boy,’ Kaye said in disgust. ‘No ins, no outs, no nothing!’
‘Good. It’ll help you stay out of mischief.’
One by one Jared’s victories mounted: Turkey, Italy, Belgium, Brazil. Between races the press pursued him intently, attracted by the stream of lovelies in his company. One in particular alerted them. Mirella, a model as famed for her colourful life as for her beauty, appeared on his arm more than any other. There were quarrels, reconciliations, even talk of marriage-all of it featured in the headlines. When he won the Japanese Grand Prix, inches ahead of Warrior, Mirella was there to greet him in the pits.
Returning to England, Warrior went into a sulk which ended in him storming into the office one evening as Kaye was about to leave, having worked late. She indicated that Duncan, her boss, was still there, and Warrior headed for Duncan’s office, slamming the door behind him.
At once voices were raised and she listened, fascinated, to the ensuing row. It might be shocking to eavesdrop, but how often could you get entertainment this good?
At last, reluctantly, she headed for the exit, colliding with someone she hadn’t noticed before.
‘Sorry,’ Jared said, steadying her.
‘How long have you been there?’
‘Just a few minutes. I was going to talk to Duncan but-’ he made a face ‘-perhaps another time.’
‘Warrior’s really mad at you for overtaking him when you did,’ she said softly.
‘It was a race. I’m supposed to overtake.’
‘But he’s the number one driver, so you should have let him stay ahead.’
‘In his dreams. Oh, Lord, they’re coming out. Quick!’
He grabbed her hand, whisking her away before she could protest. Not that she wanted to protest. Now she was with him again she knew how she’d longed for this.
The two men emerged and headed for the elevator. Neither of them saw Jared and Kaye, keeping well back.
‘You’re not doing anything tonight, are you?’ he asked when they were safely alone.
It was more an arrogant statement than a question. If he wanted her, how could she possibly be doing anything else? But she was too dazzled by him to see anything wrong with that.
‘Not a thing,’ she assured him.
‘Then let’s get out of here fast.’
She went with him eagerly, terrified lest anything happened to change his mind. A small bar had recently opened across the street, and they took refuge there.
‘Thank heavens I didn’t walk into a scene!’ he said thankfully when they were settled.
‘Don’t tell me you’re afraid.’
‘Of scenes? Sure. I avoid them like the plague.’
‘And they call you the bravest man on the track,’ she teased.
‘Ah, on the track! That’s different. Crashing at two hundred miles an hour, no problem. But raised voices and agitation-’ He shuddered. ‘I just run for it.’
‘You weren’t expected for a day or two,’ she said. ‘We all thought you’d be kept fully occupied by-er-’ She was carefully avoiding Mirella’s name.
‘All right, all right,’ he said, understanding perfectly and grinning. ‘I made a hasty exit. Can we leave it?’
She burst out laughing and his grin became more relaxed.
‘I’m a coward there too,’ he admitted. ‘In fact I’m just a disreputable character, and I can’t think why anyone bothers with me.’
‘Neither can I,’ she declared solemnly. ‘From where I’m sitting, you have absolutely nothing going for you.’
‘I know.’ He sighed. ‘Women turn away from me, and somehow I just have to endure it.’
He was twenty-four, with the lean figure of an athlete and looks that retained the barest hint of boyishness. His dark brown eyes seemed to contain mysterious depths, even when they gleamed with fun, as they did now. Female rejection was something he would never experience and they both knew it.
He was wry, funny, ridiculous, self-mocking, and-most charming of all-he seemed to give her all his attention. Common sense warned her that it meant nothing, was merely something he did with everyone, especially women. But she firmly silenced common sense. Who needed it?
They chatted easily. It was the talk of friends, not lovers, but she was happy. When their eyes met in amused understanding she had a sweet sensation that should have warned her of danger. But she only realised that later. Much, much later. When it was far too late.
‘Driving my first racing car was like reaching heaven,’ he recalled. ‘I was free. I could do what I liked. Mind you, what I liked was usually stupid, and there was trouble afterwards, but it was worth it. I knew I had to drive cars for a living, one way or another.’
‘You could have become a taxi driver,’ she told him, straight-faced.
He struck his head. ‘Hey, I never thought of that! What a chance I missed! All those crashes when I could have been doing something really interesting. Mind you, there’s a snag. In a taxi the passenger is the boss. I can’t stand that. I have to be in charge.’
‘But don’t you get instructions from the team?’
‘They tell me what they want, but I contrive to do it my way. I’m the one in the driving seat and they just have to get used to that.’
Another man might have sounded like a bully. Jared merely came across as a charming lad who would manipulate his own way by one means or another.
A giggle from another part of the bar made them look up to find that he’d been recognised.
‘Oh, no,’ he groaned. ‘Come on.’
Grabbing her again, he whisked her out onto the pavement, suddenly overcome by self-reproach.
‘I’ve got no manners, have I? That’s twice tonight I’ve just hauled you away without asking what you want.’
‘I’m not complaining.’
‘That’s because you’re a sweet, understanding person, but you deserve better than me.’
She suppressed the instinct to say, No, I don’t. Ever. She was in a haze of delight.
‘At least I can offer you something to eat,’ he said. ‘Come-’ He stopped in the act of seizing her hand, groaning. ‘I’m doing it again.’
‘Well, you’d better get on and do it, then, hadn’t you?’ she said, laughing and grasping his hand in her turn. ‘Where are we going?’
‘To my home. No more public places.’
‘Where are you parked?’
‘I live nearby. No driving. Which is just as well because-’ he blinked ‘-I may have had just a little too much wine.’
His home turned out to be a couple of rented rooms, which astonished her by their austerity.
‘I’m hardly ever here,’ he explained as she looked around. ‘Every two weeks there’s a race in a different country. Plus, I’ll soon be moving to another team, which is what I really came to tell Duncan tonight.’
She was facing away from him so he didn’t see the dismay at the news that he was leaving.
‘Right,’ he said breezily. ‘It’s time for me to demonstrate that I have other skills besides acting like a maniac on the track.’
To her surprise he turned out to be a skilled cook.
‘My mother insisted on it,’ he explained. ‘She said women would find me such a turn-off that I’d better learn to fend for myself.’
Again they laughed together, and again happiness pervaded her so that nothing else mattered. Almost nothing else. The knowledge of his imminent departure lay like a threat in her mind, infusing every word and action. Perhaps it caused what happened next.
When they’d finished washing up he said, ‘Bless you for everything. What would I have done without you?’ Then he leaned forward and kissed her lightly.